SELF’s Tri Virgins Reflect on Race Day and Share Tips on How to Rock Your First Triathlon

SELF's very own Tri Virgins, Jaclyn and Stephanie, spent many weeks training for the Olympic-distance Aquaphor New York City Triathlon. Now that race day is over -- and the girls aren't in their wetsuits -- we got them to dish about race day, how they rocked it and give future tri virgins advice on getting started. Here's what each of them had to say. In the interim, what are you waiting for?

Stephanie Says…

I feel spoiled. The Aquaphor New York City Triathlon was great (maybe a little, too comfortable?). It was well organized, we had lovely weather and most importantly, a strong, steady current carried me a mile down the (surprisingly clean) Hudson river in 20 minutes. I was nervous about the swim and it couldn’t have been better. I felt strong on the bike but was slower than I would have like (wish I had homegirl Jac to pace me!) and the run was tough but I averaged under 9-minute miles, which was my goal. Up next? A half Ironman, the 70.3 Vineman in Sonoma, CA next July. I’m hooked.

For my parting words, here are my top 10 post-race tips and tidbits:

Start your nutrition plan at least 4 days in advance. Also, while it’s different for everyone, rest and have limited activity at least 2 days before. My legs felt fresh and my energy was high thanks to well-timed meals. (Tweet me @StephaniePaige for my specific deets.)

Don’t eat later than 6pm the night before. When you’re up at 3am, you’ll thank me.

Don’t rely on public transportation to get to race. Call a car or cab.

Wear your goggles around your neck at all times. I lost mine. It was not a calm way to start the race. Thankfully someone found them as I was screaming at the swim start. Lesson learned.

Go ahead, pee in your wetsuit. I did. It’s fine.

Spend $25 and attach a mileage speedometer to your bike so you can pace appropriately.

Don’t try to sneak and wear headphones. I needed an extra music push for my run and as I made my way out of T2 I was stopped. Had to trash ‘em. Not worth it.

When you hit mile 5 on the run, push. Course mile markers are not very clear and I paced myself too slow on the finish because I didn’t realize how close I was.

Find training pals. This experience was fun thanks to my SELF friends who were also training. Our Editor-in-Chief Lucy was also a huge inspiration, to us all. The Ironman and seasoned triathlete raced and high fived the SELF crew at the finish. She’s an amazing leader (and boss).

Post-race beers, Bloody Mary’s and brunch are a must. You can eat whatever you want and enjoy those IPAs. You earned it. Amazing.

Jaclyn Says…

So all that happened. And in a word, it was freaking awesome. OK, so that’s two words. (Math has never been my thing.)

Anyway, I’ve run three marathons, and during each one I’ve gone to dark, dark places (like LITERALLY CRYING LIKE A LITTLE BABY at mile 22 of the Nashville Marathon, for starters). During each 26.2 I’ve felt physically and mentally miserable. And multiple times during each race, I’d ask myself why I do it. But that never happened during the triathlon. I was actually smiling like a dopey idiot during the swim and bike. Not really on the run, but mostly because it was a wet-hot 148 degrees outside. But overall it was hella fun. Like the actual Merriam-Webster’s definition of fun (they don’t have a definition for “hella.” Yet.). So, like my fellow tri-virgin, co-worker, friend Steph, I’m ’bout to be all up on a 70.3.

Speaking of Steph, she covered some great general race tips. So I’ll tackle the material stuff. You don’t want to be that jerk who looks like they’re moving into the transition area, but you are going to need a lot of stuff to get through the race happy and healthy. Here’s what I had, and recommend having, on hand on race day:

A towel to lay all your stuff down on at your transition zone. Because wet or muddy gear is a total race buzzkill.

A pair of crappy flip-flops to walk to the swim start in. It would be really uncool to cut your foot on something before the race even starts.

A wetsuit*. Sure, they’re tight and hot, but they keep you afloat. It takes me a pathetic 40 minutes to swim a mile in a pool. But on race day, I was out of the water in 20. I thank the Hudson current and my BlueSeventy wetsuit. Go, team!

Your swim cap and goggles. Steph almost swam that mile without her goggs. Ask her how excited she was about that thought.

A bottle of water you can use to clean your feet or face off after the swim. I came out of the Hudson with what can only be described as a river goatee, and I sure as sh*t didn’t want that look living on MarathonFoto for the rest of ever.

Nutrition. I had water, a Gatorade, a banana, some Clif Shot Bloks and a Chia bar. Have a little pile of stuff that works for you. Refuel before and/or during the bike, and/or before and/or during the run. Again, whatever works for you.

An iced venti unsweetened iced redeye from Starbucks (fiiiiiine, this one is negotiable).

You bike. Big duh.

A bike repair kit. You need a tube and a way to blow up that tube in case you bust a tire. Either a hand pump or C02 cartridge will do.

Cycling shoes. Please, please, please stop being scared of clipping in. These will change your life.

Socks. Some people say skip the socks to speed up T times, but only do that if you’ve trained without them. Otherwise, bring one pair to wear. If you’re worried about soaking them or getting blisters, maybe bring a back-up pair.

Your helmet. No helmet, no race. How much would that suck?!

Sunglasses. You wouldn’t drive a car without a windshield. Don’t bike without sunnies.

Two water bottles for your bike. I suggest freezing them both the night before. By the time you get out of the water, the ice block should have melted and you’ll have chilled water to sip.

A race belt that holds your number. You’ll be body-marked, but you need a race bib on during the bike and run. Fumbling with four safety pins is like the best idea if you’re looking to waste time. Instead, clip your number on a race belt the night before, then all you have to do during transition is pop the belt on. Easy, breezy.

Running shoes. Unless you’re on that whole barefoot train.

A GPS watch. I like to know how quickly (or in Sunday’s case, slowly) and far I’m moving. If the mile-markers are sparse, this will help you stay sane.

A hat or visor. The run happens latest, that means it’ll be the sunniest/hottest part of your race. If you don’t want to take the time to apply sunscreen (GASP!), then make sure to throw a hat on while you run out.

A transition bag or backpack to carry all this stuff home in.

Dassit.

Guys, I’m signing off on this whole blog thing for a while. Feel free to tweet me @jaclynemerick with any questions you have about training tips, gear suggestions, etc. I’m happy to help where I can. I’ll leave you with my biggest tip: Do one. Register, train, race. You got this.